Teeth Grinding in Babies

Isnt' that an aweful noise?? My kids are now 6 & 4 and they both still occasionally do that when they sleep. They used to do it constantly while they slept. I asked our dentist about it and she said that it is very common in little ones - something about their mouths adjusting to the teeth and growing.... Hopefully they will outgrow it. In the meantime you may need to get earplugs!

He'll outgrow it. But for now you could give him a cold, clean, wet washcloth to chew on when he starts to grind. Or just a teething ring or something.

Hi A.! I just went through this and asked the same question!! Here is the link to my page of responses - bottom line its perfectly normal and he'll stop soon!

http://www.mamasource.com/request/1247184788889010177

My son does this too (he is now 9 mths) and I spoke with my dentist about it. He said that it is perfectly normal for babies to do this and that it's just a fun new thing they learn to do. He said it would pass fairly quickly and that typically no damage is done.

The best advice I can give is to try distraction methods. Whenever he starts grinding his teeth, get his attention and turn it towards some other activity. You need to watch it too... and if he continues (particularly in his sleep) you may need to seek out massage therapy (for TMJ), a dentist for additional advice, or a psychologist for stress reduction advice. For now it's most likely he just figured out how to do it... but if it continues to be a long-term problem, it should be looked into further.

Hello, I was very happy to read this..My son is 10 mos, and has recently discovered this same art. I too am unsure of how to discourage this. So far i have done nothing, but distract him. When he starts to grind I give him his teething ring or paci.. It seems to help a little.

Good luck.

Hi there,
My son, now almost 11 months, got his teeth very early, around 4 months. He is also a teeth-grinder. I asked his pediatrician about it, and she said not to worry about it. It's a good idea to distract them when they're doing it so that they do something else, which you said you're already doing. My little guy has now almost stopped it completely, but I know, it's kind of an unnerving sound! Take care.

I also have a teeth grinding baby. He got his first two teeth at 3 months. After that they have been coming in twos. He is now 10 months old and is cutting his 10th tooth! My husband and I found that when he is grinding his teeth it's usually because they are bothering him. The obvious choice is to rub teething medicine on his gums. We found something better though. We give Aiden a carrot! I buy the biggest,fattest carrots I can find. Use only the big ones, not the baby ones. I clean it and cut it into a 3 to 4 inch section(use the fat end). He gets nutrition, doesn't grind his teeth and it also helps his teeth come in faster because he is using them. Good luck and happy chewing!

A.,

Most likely, if you ignore it, he will stop in a month or two when he gets bored of his new trick. With babies this young, there is no positive or negative attention, it is just attention, so any attempt you make to discipline will just encourage the behavior.

Try giving him something to chew on. And don't worry about him wrecking his teeth, it probably won't happen. Thankfully, the first set fall out in 5-6 years anyway.

Good luck,
S.

There's probably not much you can do to discourage it; it's very normal behavior. My son did it to calm himself down at night before he fell asleep.

Hi A.,

I have had the same thing with my daughter. She is 13 months now and is still doing it because she is getting her molars. I took her to a pediatric dentist and he said this is completely normal. They do that for comfort or wanting to feel their new teeth. I know it is a pain to listen to. It makes me cringe but the one thing I do is try to give her something to chew on. My daughter loves her teething ring. It comforts her. Try to occupy your baby with a toy. Hope this helps. The dentist did say they will do this until they are done teething.

I have twin 7yr old boys that did the same thing. When they were two they had their first dental appt., and I asked the dentist about. He informed me it was normal and had to do with them growing their teeth. It was really bad when they slept. They eventually grew out of it.

Hi A.,
I'm sorry I dont have any real advice for you. I just wanted to let you know I have 13m old twins and they both grind their teeth alot too. It seems to go in phases, and from what I've been told, they should just grow out of it. Sorry I'm not much, but know that you're not alone. If you find any real fix, please let me know too.
Take Care,
B.

Our son did that too. I think it is just a phase and they will grow out of it. I am sure it makes a funny sensation in their mouth and it sounds neat to them. I wouldn't worry - our son is one now and has 7 teeth and he has stopped grinding them.

Don't worry. He'll probably quit on his own; all 4 of mine did. I think it's an exploratory activity & probably feels good/neat to them.

My son is 4 and still grinds his teeth. According to his dentist it is not a problem until they get their permanant teeth. At that time is when they usually give them a bite guard or correct it in some way. I agree with you as to it driving a person crazy!!!!!

I think it's pretty normal for young ones to do. I was very worried when my daughter started to do this as well. I think I even wrote a post on here about it. I think it's just checking out their new chompers to see how it feels figuring out what these new things in their mouths are. I was at the same time trying to take away her pacifier but when she would start doing that i would stick her pacifier in for just a couple of minutes just to get her to stop. I couldn't stand the noise. With that in there she wasn't able to grind them. I know it may not sound ideal especially if you are trying to take it away but it went over fairly quick and she didn't seem to get used to having it. I just really had to put something in between those teeth it gave me the hebegebes..